"We work for a commercial broadcaster and we are paid the going rate, " he explained.
Carlton and Granada merged in 2004 to create Britain's biggest commercial broadcaster.
Branson had already been irked when Sky bought a 17.9% blocking stake in British commercial broadcaster ITV, effectively dashing any hopes he'd harbored for buying the company.
Ofcom had received more than 100 complaints that a transmission had been interfering with the commercial broadcaster LBC and the regulator was out to "put them out of business".
"ITV makes the highest level of investment in UK production of any commercial broadcaster and is committed to commissioning the best ideas from wherever they originate, " a spokesman said.
ITV, the country's leading terrestrial commercial broadcaster, restricted competition.
The British commercial broadcaster ITV has reportedly sent a warning to Apple after rumors that the computer maker was mulling a re-launch of Apple TV with new hardware, under the name iTV.
But with NTL due to change its name to Virgin Media next year, NTL also has UK commercial broadcaster ITV in its sights as a takeover target, part of its plans to offer television as well as broadband, fixed-line and mobile telecommunications services.
That's right, CTV, one of Canada's commercial television networks, has seized the song from the country's public broadcaster.
Mr Birt tried to strike a balance between a public-service broadcaster's duty to provide serious programming and the need to compete with the commercial sector for a mass audience.
Already the broadcaster has spurned an advance from privately owned Five, preferring to marry the BBC's hugely profitable commercial arm, BBC Worldwide.
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